Peeing - perhaps not the run-of-the-mill reasons

in article , Jeff
Traigle at wrote on 8/12/03 8:35 PM:

In article ,
(Sherry ) wrote:

Jeff, you have my sympathy. That's about the toughest problem to deal with.
I've read, and heard from my vet, that sometimes a cat who's had bouts with
UTI
will start to avoid the box because they associate it with the pain, and then
it simply becomes a behavioral issue long after the medical issue is cleared
up. I've known people who have had success with Buspar (an anti-anxiety drug,
one often used in humans for anxiety and also anger management). But this is
only after every other avenue has been exhausted. I don't like the idea of
drugging a cat, and you probably don't either, but it's something you can ask
your vet about. Feliway is another product that produces a feeling of
well-being in a cat; it's actually a pheromone and doesn't drug the cat. I
don't know if it would work in a case like yours, but it's a benign product
and
won't hurt the cat. Good luck.

Sherry

Hmmm... yeah... drugging her isn't the answer, I think. Though she's
quite skittish around anyone but me (on the very rare occasions I have
someone over to the house), she doesn't seem anxious in general...
concerning using the litterbox when I see her using it or any other time
that I can tell. My parents were here for almost a week last week and
she didn't pee inappropriately the entire time (though she stayed hidden
in the closet behind the waterheater when we were home and they were
awake... as soon as they went to bed, she was next to me on the futon to
sleep for the night). As soon as they left, she went right back to
peeing on the futon again within a couple of days. And she hasn't had a
UTI, thankfully, in over a year so any inappropriate behavior related to
something like that, I think, would have developed long before a couple
of months ago.

--
Jeff Traigle

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~traigle/

Do try the Feliway. She sounds easily stressed. It's indeed somekind of
message. Maybe if she can only be up on the futon when she is with you? this
is a toughie.

Karen

In article ,
olitter (PawsForThought) wrote:

Hi Jeff,
Sorry to hear about your kitty problem. You say they like the litter, but do
they really? Isn't Fresh Step a scented litter? Maybe if you try something
more natural like Swheat Scoop they would like it better.

I suppose anything is possible, but, if the litter was unacceptable, why
would she still use the boxes at all? I know she still uses them because
I've heard and seen her... and unless she's held a bladderful for a day
or two, she's even peed in the boxes between days of going on the futon
the past couple of months. And the one time I tried using another litter
besides Fresh Step, she peed right outside the box as she's done when I
didn't clean them in a timely manner... so I'm reluctant to blame litter
preference at this point.

Are the boxes covered? Some cats don't like covered boxes.

Yes, they are. Always have been. Hasn't been a problem for either of
them and still seems not to be since they both still use the litter
boxes regularly.

Lastly, have you tried totally retraining them to the box? Seems like that website you posted has a lot of
good information.

Saw that on the web site. Will try that if I can't figure out her issue
by other means. Only place I have to do that is the bathroom and it's so
tiny, I think it might prove fruitless given the close proximity the
litterbox would be to the food and water in there.

Lastly, your cats aren't declawed are they? Some declawed cats will avoid the litterbox because of pain in their paws from the
amputation.

They are. But why would she just start doing this because of being
declawed after seven years... and not all the time even now?

It just seems to me that, for some reason that I can't fathom yet, she's
chosen the futon as one other acceptable place to pee every few days
besides the litterboxes, which she also still finds acceptable to use.

--
Jeff Traigle

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~traigle/

In article ,
olitter (PawsForThought) wrote:

Hi Jeff,
Sorry to hear about your kitty problem. You say they like the litter, but do
they really? Isn't Fresh Step a scented litter? Maybe if you try something
more natural like Swheat Scoop they would like it better.

I suppose anything is possible, but, if the litter was unacceptable, why
would she still use the boxes at all? I know she still uses them because
I've heard and seen her... and unless she's held a bladderful for a day
or two, she's even peed in the boxes between days of going on the futon
the past couple of months. And the one time I tried using another litter
besides Fresh Step, she peed right outside the box as she's done when I
didn't clean them in a timely manner... so I'm reluctant to blame litter
preference at this point.

Are the boxes covered? Some cats don't like covered boxes.

Yes, they are. Always have been. Hasn't been a problem for either of
them and still seems not to be since they both still use the litter
boxes regularly.

Lastly, have you tried totally retraining them to the box? Seems like that website you posted has a lot of
good information.

Saw that on the web site. Will try that if I can't figure out her issue
by other means. Only place I have to do that is the bathroom and it's so
tiny, I think it might prove fruitless given the close proximity the
litterbox would be to the food and water in there.

Lastly, your cats aren't declawed are they? Some declawed cats will avoid the litterbox because of pain in their paws from the
amputation.

They are. But why would she just start doing this because of being
declawed after seven years... and not all the time even now?

It just seems to me that, for some reason that I can't fathom yet, she's
chosen the futon as one other acceptable place to pee every few days
besides the litterboxes, which she also still finds acceptable to use.

--
Jeff Traigle

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~traigle/

Jeff,
I am wondering if your cat might have interstitial cystitis. It mimics a
urinary tract infection but when urine is tested there are no signs of
bacteria. I would try treating her as if she has this condition for at
least two months or so and see if there is improvement. What you will
need to do is get her on Cosequin for cats once a day (dose depending on
weight, but probably one capsule), and feed a strictly canned food diet
on a 12 hour schedule. Absolutely NO dry food. If she has IC the
Cosequin will help keep the bladder lining in good shape, which is a big
part of the problem with IC in that there are flaws in the lining of the
bladder and it tends to become inflamed and causes discomfort, which in
turn will cause a cat to pee inappropriately. Cosequin is what finally
stopped my cat Teddy from having flare-ups of IC and has helped my cat
Marvin, who has also developed this condition. It takes 1- 2 months to
reach optimal effect, so you have to be patient once you start giving
this supplement. It also would help to invest in a couple of Feliway
diffusers to help minimize stress and place them close to where she is
urinating inappropriately.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Jeff,
I am wondering if your cat might have interstitial cystitis. It mimics a
urinary tract infection but when urine is tested there are no signs of
bacteria. I would try treating her as if she has this condition for at
least two months or so and see if there is improvement. What you will
need to do is get her on Cosequin for cats once a day (dose depending on
weight, but probably one capsule), and feed a strictly canned food diet
on a 12 hour schedule. Absolutely NO dry food. If she has IC the
Cosequin will help keep the bladder lining in good shape, which is a big
part of the problem with IC in that there are flaws in the lining of the
bladder and it tends to become inflamed and causes discomfort, which in
turn will cause a cat to pee inappropriately. Cosequin is what finally
stopped my cat Teddy from having flare-ups of IC and has helped my cat
Marvin, who has also developed this condition. It takes 1- 2 months to
reach optimal effect, so you have to be patient once you start giving
this supplement. It also would help to invest in a couple of Feliway
diffusers to help minimize stress and place them close to where she is
urinating inappropriately.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

in article , Jeff
Traigle at wrote on 8/12/03 10:37 PM:

In article ,
olitter (PawsForThought) wrote:

Hi Jeff,
Sorry to hear about your kitty problem. You say they like the litter, but do
they really? Isn't Fresh Step a scented litter? Maybe if you try something
more natural like Swheat Scoop they would like it better.

I suppose anything is possible, but, if the litter was unacceptable, why
would she still use the boxes at all? I know she still uses them because
I've heard and seen her... and unless she's held a bladderful for a day
or two, she's even peed in the boxes between days of going on the futon
the past couple of months. And the one time I tried using another litter
besides Fresh Step, she peed right outside the box as she's done when I
didn't clean them in a timely manner... so I'm reluctant to blame litter
preference at this point.

Are the boxes covered? Some cats don't like covered boxes.

Yes, they are. Always have been. Hasn't been a problem for either of
them and still seems not to be since they both still use the litter
boxes regularly.

Lastly, have you tried totally retraining them to the box? Seems like that
website you posted has a lot of
good information.

Saw that on the web site. Will try that if I can't figure out her issue
by other means. Only place I have to do that is the bathroom and it's so
tiny, I think it might prove fruitless given the close proximity the
litterbox would be to the food and water in there.

Lastly, your cats aren't declawed are they? Some declawed cats will avoid
the litterbox because of pain in their paws from the
amputation.

They are. But why would she just start doing this because of being
declawed after seven years... and not all the time even now?

It just seems to me that, for some reason that I can't fathom yet, she's
chosen the futon as one other acceptable place to pee every few days
besides the litterboxes, which she also still finds acceptable to use.

--
Jeff Traigle

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~traigle/

Hmm. You might have her checked for arthritis. Declawed cats develop it
early. You'd need an xray. If so, you could put her on a supplement.

in article , Jeff
Traigle at wrote on 8/12/03 10:37 PM:

In article ,
olitter (PawsForThought) wrote:

Hi Jeff,
Sorry to hear about your kitty problem. You say they like the litter, but do
they really? Isn't Fresh Step a scented litter? Maybe if you try something
more natural like Swheat Scoop they would like it better.

I suppose anything is possible, but, if the litter was unacceptable, why
would she still use the boxes at all? I know she still uses them because
I've heard and seen her... and unless she's held a bladderful for a day
or two, she's even peed in the boxes between days of going on the futon
the past couple of months. And the one time I tried using another litter
besides Fresh Step, she peed right outside the box as she's done when I
didn't clean them in a timely manner... so I'm reluctant to blame litter
preference at this point.

Are the boxes covered? Some cats don't like covered boxes.

Yes, they are. Always have been. Hasn't been a problem for either of
them and still seems not to be since they both still use the litter
boxes regularly.

Lastly, have you tried totally retraining them to the box? Seems like that
website you posted has a lot of
good information.

Saw that on the web site. Will try that if I can't figure out her issue
by other means. Only place I have to do that is the bathroom and it's so
tiny, I think it might prove fruitless given the close proximity the
litterbox would be to the food and water in there.

Lastly, your cats aren't declawed are they? Some declawed cats will avoid
the litterbox because of pain in their paws from the
amputation.

They are. But why would she just start doing this because of being
declawed after seven years... and not all the time even now?

It just seems to me that, for some reason that I can't fathom yet, she's
chosen the futon as one other acceptable place to pee every few days
besides the litterboxes, which she also still finds acceptable to use.

--
Jeff Traigle

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~traigle/

Hmm. You might have her checked for arthritis. Declawed cats develop it
early. You'd need an xray. If so, you could put her on a supplement.

Thanks, Megan. I'll keep your posting handy. I also found several web
sites related to interstitial cystitis that seemed to have good
information about it.

It's been over a week since I moved one of the litter boxes to the
living room. So far, no more peeing on the futon. (I'm not ready to
celebrate victory yet since she went nearly a week while my parents were
here without doing it, but she was also hiding in the closet by the
water heater the entire time.) I did have to move the other two litter
boxes to the living room also, however. Both cats started using the one
in the living room exclusively and one or both would pee on the
newspaper outside the box instead of going inside. They still tend to
use the old boxes and avoid the new one (have only used it twice in the
two weeks I've had it), but I guess as long as they use the boxes I
won't sweat which ones they use.

--
Jeff Traigle

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~traigle/



In article ,
wrote:

Jeff,
I am wondering if your cat might have interstitial cystitis. It mimics a
urinary tract infection but when urine is tested there are no signs of
bacteria. I would try treating her as if she has this condition for at
least two months or so and see if there is improvement. What you will
need to do is get her on Cosequin for cats once a day (dose depending on
weight, but probably one capsule), and feed a strictly canned food diet
on a 12 hour schedule. Absolutely NO dry food. If she has IC the
Cosequin will help keep the bladder lining in good shape, which is a big
part of the problem with IC in that there are flaws in the lining of the
bladder and it tends to become inflamed and causes discomfort, which in
turn will cause a cat to pee inappropriately. Cosequin is what finally
stopped my cat Teddy from having flare-ups of IC and has helped my cat
Marvin, who has also developed this condition. It takes 1- 2 months to
reach optimal effect, so you have to be patient once you start giving
this supplement. It also would help to invest in a couple of Feliway
diffusers to help minimize stress and place them close to where she is
urinating inappropriately.

Megan

Thanks, Megan. I'll keep your posting handy. I also found several web
sites related to interstitial cystitis that seemed to have good
information about it.

It's been over a week since I moved one of the litter boxes to the
living room. So far, no more peeing on the futon. (I'm not ready to
celebrate victory yet since she went nearly a week while my parents were
here without doing it, but she was also hiding in the closet by the
water heater the entire time.) I did have to move the other two litter
boxes to the living room also, however. Both cats started using the one
in the living room exclusively and one or both would pee on the
newspaper outside the box instead of going inside. They still tend to
use the old boxes and avoid the new one (have only used it twice in the
two weeks I've had it), but I guess as long as they use the boxes I
won't sweat which ones they use.

--
Jeff Traigle

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~traigle/



In article ,
wrote:

Jeff,
I am wondering if your cat might have interstitial cystitis. It mimics a
urinary tract infection but when urine is tested there are no signs of
bacteria. I would try treating her as if she has this condition for at
least two months or so and see if there is improvement. What you will
need to do is get her on Cosequin for cats once a day (dose depending on
weight, but probably one capsule), and feed a strictly canned food diet
on a 12 hour schedule. Absolutely NO dry food. If she has IC the
Cosequin will help keep the bladder lining in good shape, which is a big
part of the problem with IC in that there are flaws in the lining of the
bladder and it tends to become inflamed and causes discomfort, which in
turn will cause a cat to pee inappropriately. Cosequin is what finally
stopped my cat Teddy from having flare-ups of IC and has helped my cat
Marvin, who has also developed this condition. It takes 1- 2 months to
reach optimal effect, so you have to be patient once you start giving
this supplement. It also would help to invest in a couple of Feliway
diffusers to help minimize stress and place them close to where she is
urinating inappropriately.

Megan